Kiwi said:
Rapid Transit Office now has a perferred B-Line route....

lrt_route_preferred_option_2009_03.jpg


Two way LRT on it's entire route. Convert Main and King St back to two way car traffic.
Click to expand...

This is actually a Consultant Group (hired by the City's Rapid Transit Dep't)'s preferred option -- Not the City's!

The City and/or Public Works hasn't selected any option as they're waiting for both Metrolinx's BCA & Public Input. As stated, Public Works wont have a 'preferred' option until all public feedback & Metrolinx's report are studied and presented to Council in the early Fall.

That's why it's important We fill out the surveys, send them emails, and attend public info meetings (TONIGHT 3-8 @ Downtown Sheraton @ King/Bay) to make sure all options are considered!
 
Contribution Agreement between Metrolinx and the City of Hamilton for Rapid Transit Studies

http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/52C3FF27-4AFA-4732-810D-8FF390B23AAC/0/Oct13PW09088.pdf

Looks like the EA for the B-Line and A-Line will start on October 20th.

"The money ($3 million) earmarked for Hamilton is for planning, design, engineering and Class EA work for the B-Line and the A-Line."

The preliminary design for the B-Line must be completed by March 2010. It has to be done before the provincial 2010 Budget.
 
King Street east is right now the best suited or pedestrians, but an LRT might mean closing it to traffic.
 
Yea should be interesting what they recommend for LRT on King St from John to Wellington St (aka International Village). It's already a narrow section of King St. They will either have to eliminate curbside parking or remove all car traffic from that section of King to accommodate LRT. Doing that will obviously bring up protest, especially from the International Village BIA.
 
Construction of new MacNab Transit Terminal to begin

Hamilton, ON – October 15, 2009 – The City of Hamilton’s Public Works Department will begin work next week to build the new transit terminal on MacNab Street. The work will include the construction of a new terminal building, bus shelters, platforms and the reconstruction of MacNab Street between King and Main Streets.

The contractor, Sona Construction Ltd., is scheduled to commence work on Monday, October 19th and is expected to complete the project in August 2010. MacNab Street between King and Main Streets will remain closed for the duration of the project, with local access being maintained to the CIBC Building and Hamilton Convention Centre.

The construction of this new transit terminal is an integral part of the first stage of a master plan to revitalize the Gore Area, bounded by James and Catharine Streets, the north edge of Gore Park, and the southern sidewalk along the south leg of King Street East. The new transit terminal will result in the relocation of HSR buses from the south side of King Street East to the new terminal. Removal of buses from the south leg of King Street East provides an opportunity to improve the pedestrian environment in that area, which aligns with the City’s Downtown Secondary Plan: Putting People First. Subsequent stages of the Gore Area revitalization are being undertaken through The Gore Master Plan Project, which involves extensive public consultation. The completion of the Gore Master Plan Project will coordinate with the timing of the new transit terminal.

The design of the new transit terminal features green and innovative elements such as a green roof, and heated platform, as well as new shelters, public washrooms and enhanced accessibility for wheelchairs and bicycles.

macnab_terminal_rendering_02.jpg


macnab_terminal_rendering_04.jpg
 
It's a great idea, to centralize the terminals, but I am left wondering if there is enough room to fit all the buses that terminate downtown. The ticket and pass office is in the GO Centre, logical place except it's a few blocks from the 1, 2 and 3 buses (until they started using the GO terminal temporarily).

Lots of other places got burned by building too-small terminals in the last 15 years (Toronto usually has the opposite problem). MT Square One, BT Shoppers World (6 years old, too small when built even with booting out the route 2).
 
There's two terminals in downtown Hamilton, that new MacNab terminal and one at the GO Station. B-Line, Cannon, King, etc all terminate at the GO Station. All of the buses that serve the Mountain will terminate at the new terminal.

Pretty much all the buses that were using the old MacNab terminal is now at the GO Station and all the buses that currently terminate at Gore Park will relocate to the newly renovated MacNab terminal.
 
Hamilton is making a big mistake here. King and Main should remain as one way streets if they build LRT. That way LRT can be built at a the side of the road, and neither street will have to be closed to car traffic. The city should also consider LRT on BOTH streets, LRT on one street and BRT on the other.

Main Street:
Code: 
-<---<---PARKING-<---<---
-<---<---REGULAR-<---<---
-<---<---REGULAR-<---<---
-<---<---TRANSIT-<---<---
--->--->-TRANSIT--->--->-

King Street:
Code: 
-<---<---TRANSIT-<---<---
--->--->-TRANSIT--->--->-
--->--->-REGULAR--->--->-
--->--->-REGULAR--->--->-
--->--->-PARKING--->--->-
 
Kiwi said:
There's two terminals in downtown Hamilton, that new MacNab terminal and one at the GO Station. B-Line, Cannon, King, etc all terminate at the GO Station. All of the buses that serve the Mountain will terminate at the new terminal.

Pretty much all the buses that were using the old MacNab terminal is now at the GO Station and all the buses that currently terminate at Gore Park will relocate to the newly renovated MacNab terminal.
Click to expand...

Isn't the use of the GO Terminal by the HSR supposed to only be temporary? I recall seing that in several places. What happens when those routes go back to McNab? Or are they going somewhere else?

Is the reconfigured McNab still a reverse two way street?

Even if 1,2,3,4, and 7 don't go back there, I still can't see all of the mountain routes fitting in there at once without major congestion. If it's two way, they will only have access to half of the bays. Ideally route 34 should layover there too, which would make it even more crowded. It just seems like they are trying to cram around 15 routes into a space that can really handle 6 or 7.
 
MacNab will be one way, enter from King and exit out at Main.

The following buses will terminate at the new NacNab terminal
• 21 Upper Kenilworth
• 22 Upper Ottawa
• 23 Upper Gage
• 24 Upper Sherman
• 25 Upper Wentworth
• 26 Upper Wellington
• 27 Upper James
• 33 Sanatorium
• 35 College

Here's all the route changes that happened June 28, 2009
http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/83C8B4CF-5A0D-4518-8E7F-2872BE6595F8/0/JU09Brochure.pdf

The HSR bus terminal at the GO Station is permanent.
 
Transit decision delayed again

October 31, 2009
Emma Reilly
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/664128

A decision about the future of rapid transit in Hamilton has been delayed for the second time.

The city will have to wait until January 2010 to learn whether it will receive light rail (LRT) or dedicated bus lanes (BRT), said Jill Stephen, director of strategic and environmental planning.

Metrolinx, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area public transportation body, was originally scheduled to recommend LRT or BRT in July. That timeline was extended to the fall and a decision was expected in November.

The city learned of the second delay early this week.

"We weren't expecting (the delay). It was a bit of a surprise," said Stephen. "We're anxious to move forward as quickly as we can."

The decision about LRT versus dedicated bus lanes isn't the only delay the city's facing. A $3-million contribution from the province for a rapid transit study announced in April has yet to be delivered.

Stephen said Metrolinx "didn't say a whole lot" about the delays, but said they may have been caused by the changes to the board that will take hold in May.

She also mentioned that the recommendation about Hamilton's rapid transit lines is one of several reports that will be released at the same time, and the other studies are taking longer than anticipated.

In the meantime, Stephen said, her department is moving ahead with plans for LRT. If the city ultimately gets bus lanes, she says the work could be "stepped back."

"We're still moving forward because we can't afford to sit back and wait," she said.

John Howe, vice-president of investment strategies at Metrolinx, said the target date to break ground on the project is still 2011, providing the funding is in place.

"I don't see it as a major concern because this is the work we need to do to get to LRT or BRT by 2011, subject to funding approvals."

The priority for the city, and one of Metrolinx's top priorities, is to get LRT on an east-west B-line from Eastgate Square to McMaster.

The city's tab of the $650-million project is estimated at around 15 per cent, but there's been no official indication of the exact amount
 
It would be a disaster if they only got BRT in my opinion. It would be like Toronto only getting LRT. Wait...
 
The Rapid Transit Squeeze

November 10, 2009
Emma Reilly
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/669682

Rapid transit and traffic are competing for limited space on city streets. The city is beginning to map out how rapid transit will operate in Hamilton, revealing dramatic impacts on the way traffic moves along the entire east-west corridor.

Potential changes include the creation of a pedestrian mall in the downtown core and conversion of King Street to two-way traffic with restrictions on left turns from Eastgate to McMaster.

According to a new report, Hamilton will see two rapid transit (RT) lines running along the centre of King Street -- one eastbound, one westbound. These plans are in place whether the city receives light rail or buses. That decision is expected from transportation authority Metrolinx in January.

The heaviest impact will be downtown, where the proposal sees the International Village area of King Street closed to traffic. Vehicles will be routed away from King Street at Wellington Street to either Main, Cannon or Wilson streets, then merge back onto King in a proposed "transition zone" between Mary and John streets.

Drivers could lose on-street parking and loading zones from Eastgate Square to McMaster University, and face restrictions on left turns along the entire route.

Cars won't be allowed to cross the centre lanes in order to maintain the speed of RT and to ensure the safety of motorists.

That means residents and owners and employees of businesses along King Street will only be able to make right turns in and out of their driveways. Left turns and U-turns will only be permitted at traffic lights.

The city chose median RT lines because they ultimately offer traffic more freedom than curbside RT, said Jill Stephen, director of strategic and environmental planning. Since there would be the same restrictions on cars crossing the RT tracks or lanes, curbside RT would mean side streets and driveways would have to be dead-ended.

Stephen says she's aware city residents will need time to adjust to the proposed plan.

"Change can be difficult, but there are lots of good reasons for this change," she said.

News of the traffic restrictions came as a surprise to Councillor Chad Collins. He first heard of the plan at an information update for council members in late October.

Since then, he says, he's been discussing the plans with businesses in his ward and reactions haven't been positive. Few businesses he spoke to were even aware of the direction of the RT plans.

"I'd like to see a system that the community can support," he said. "I'd hate to see a design that turns people off of LRT to the point that they don't want it."

Manny Rebelo, the general manager and soon-to-be owner of Swiss Chalet on Queenston Road, says he's worried about how the traffic restrictions will affect his business.

"It could slow down our service, certainly to delivery guests, and of course our patrons will suffer as well because it will be very inconvenient for them."

Denninger's spokesperson Norm Legault said he's very concerned about plans to close King Street -- the eatery and food store is in the middle of the proposed pedestrian zone.

"I would say this worries us," he said after hearing of the plans for the first time yesterday.

"I don't think that would be in the best business interest for this location."
 
Delayed yet AGAIN...

Metrolinx decision delayed until February

December 23, 2009
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/695758

The wait for news about the future of rapid transit in Hamilton will be a little longer.

The city was expecting a recommendation on whether Hamilton will receive buses or light rail -- the preferred option -- in January.

But the city's chief rapid transit adviser says it won't hear from Metrolinx, the Golden Horseshoe public transportation body, until February.

Jill Stephen, the city's director of strategic and environmental planning, says she expects a recommendation from Metrolinx at their Feb. 19 board meeting.

Metrolinx was originally scheduled to recommend LRT or dedicated bus lanes in July. That date has been pushed back three times.

John Howe, vice-president of investment strategy at Metrolinx, said the timeline changed from January to February when the Metrolinx board schedule was finalized.

Howe said the final decision on Hamilton's rapid transit plans will be left up to the Ministry of Transportation.

Though Hamilton's proposal is one of nine transit projects in the GTA vying for cash, its role in the Pan Am Games may be a factor in the decision, Howe said.

However, the ministry was cautious about making a link.

"We recognize just how important of a role public transit within the GTHA will play during the Games," said ministry spokesperson Emna Dhahak. "We look forward to advice from the Pan Am Games corporation as to their transportation needs in Hamilton for the two-week-long Games."
 
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